


Rules and Stipulations

by ShianneUrami



Series: Homestuck Shipping World Cup 2014 [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Homestuck Shipping World Cup 2014, Mentions of Neglect and Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-19
Updated: 2014-05-19
Packaged: 2018-01-25 18:54:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1658858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShianneUrami/pseuds/ShianneUrami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remember when CPS took Dirk away?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rules and Stipulations

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for [this br1 prompt.](http://hs-worldcup.dreamwidth.org/18819.html?thread=3302787#cmt3302787)
> 
> I've seen firsthand what CPS can or can't do do a family, so I couldn't resist filling this one myself.

“Mr. Strider?”  
  
Dave’s shoulders dropped and he called out, “Cut!” Turning his head to look at who was addressing him, their reflection greeting them in his sunglasses, his expression flat. “Can I help you with something? I’m kinda busy, if that wasn’t obvious. I know, tall asshole in a chair watching people run around like chickens without heads, probably not doing much. Actually the director of this crazefest, unless you missed that detail on the back of the chair?”  
  
He cut himself off when the person before him fidgeted under his words. They spoke up, cringing under the weight of the message, “You have a phone call on hold in your room. It’s important.”  
  
“Define important for me, I’m working on a pivotal scene.”  
  
“It’s about Dirk, sir.”  
  
Dave was out of his chair and heading for his room, calling over his shoulder with a little wave, “Take five!”  
  
Dirk had always been something to put his work on hold for, and even though he couldn’t always be home with him, be there for him when he needed him, and often times had to coach him through something over the phone or via cam, Dirk still took precedence over his work nine times out of ten. It was true that Dave was here rather than there, but he was good at what he did, and it paid the bills back home. Dirk was a smart kid that knew how to work the stove and oven, knew how to order in groceries and take out, knew to do his homework and go to bed on time. Dave knew he was a clever kid, so leaving him home alone in his younger years hadn’t been an issue. A key on a length of leather kept tight against his chest was the only kind of caretaker Dirk had.  
  
The lady next door had done what she did out of concern, because she worried. She didn’t do it out of spite.  
  
Dave shut the door behind him into his dressing room, crossing the room to stand in front of the mirror, picking up the phone, “Hey youngin’, what’s up?”  
  
“Mr. Strider?” A woman asked, “This is Detective Pyrope.”  
  
Swallowing hard, “Heh, sorry ‘bout that miss, how can I help you?” Because detectives were ALWAYS a good thing when children were concerned!  
  
“I am calling to inform you that your son has been taking into state care and you are being summoned to an emergency hearing concerning his custody tomorrow morning, at eight forty five in the courthouse.”  
  
“Woah, woah, woah. Hold the phone here, Dirk is- Dirk is in state custody? Why?” Dave nearly stepped back and tripped over his chair as the news hit him.  
  
“Children under the age of twelve should not and cannot be left home alone for more than a few hours without supervision, and you haven’t been home for two weeks Mr. Strider. This is also not the first time, as we’ve been informed. This is neglect and you will be put to trial and the judge will decide whether it would be fit to let Dirk stay with you, or to put him into a foster home.”  
  
Dave was silent.  
  
“Is that clear enough for you, Mr. Strider?”  
  
Croaked and quiet he spoke up to answer, “Yes, thank you.”  
  
“We’ll be seeing you tomorrow morning then, have a good night.”  
  
The line went dead after that and Dave held the phone to his ear for a while before he set it on the vanity in front of him before he shifted back to sit in his chair. His glasses came off after that and they joined his phone with a clink, his face set in his hands. He hadn’t known. He always thought it was fine, that Dirk was a smart kid and was completely capable of looking after himself, and he was, clearly! But… it seemed the state had other ideas on this.   
  
Dave felt sick.  
  


* * *

  
There weren’t many people here today. The judge, the detective who’d called him, a few other people Dave couldn’t be bothered with concerning himself with, Rose, and his little man in such a dapper suit with his back straight and his sunglasses in his pocket. Dave’s own were also in his pocket, informal for the courtroom.  
  
“The bottom line Mr. Strider, is the fact that Dirk cannot be left alone without supervision at his age. There is no other choice. Either you need to look after him, he needs to go to a home with family who WILL look after him, or he is being taken into state care and put into a foster home until either you are able to take care of him again and file for return custody, he is adopted into a permanent home, or he ages out of the system.” The judge wasn’t pulling punches.  
  
“I am a very busy director, Your Honor, I-”  
  
“And he is your son, Mr. Strider. I do not want to hear excuses on the matter. Your child should come before any of your work, and before yourself.”  
  
He felt like he was a child too, being scolded for trying to sneak cookies. Except, this was a lot more serious than a slap on the wrist and no dessert. This was Dirk’s future. The little man stood next to him with his hands behind his back still, staring straight ahead.  
  
“Would I be able to finish my current project and come home to him? Could you let things be until then?” Dave asked, more for clarification than anything else.  
  
“No, Mr. Strider, because that is the same thing you’ve been doing for I’m not sure how long. How many years have you been in and out of young Dirk’s life like this? How long has it been since you started leaving the young boy home alone to look after and care for himself?”  
  
“Four, Your Honor.”  
  
“As young as seven, Mr. Strider?” He sounded dumbstruck.  
  
“Yes.” Dave admitted, feeling his stomach twist, but remembering to tack on, “Your Honor.”  
  
“I could always take him, Your Honor, I would be happy to take my brother’s son.” Rose stood up beside him, her hands clasped tight in front of her. She looked stern.  
  
“Ms. Lalonde, I appreciate the sentiment, but you are also a single parent with work to be doing, yes? You are an author? Granted, you stay at home with your daughter, but there would need to be an investigation into your home life as well after Mr. Strider’s STUNNING performance, to see if Dirk would be safe with you.”  
  
The judge turned to look at Dave again, “But until that time, unless you are willing to take him home with you TODAY and stay with him save for a few hours here and there, as a parent should, then he is going to have to be put into foster care, and an investigation started to make sure that Ms. Lalonde would be able to care for him, and take custody of him in lieu of you being unfit to do so yourself.”  
  
Dave was still silent. They all were.  
  
“So, what will it be Mr. Strider, are you leaving here with your son, or alone?”  
  
He needed to drop everything he’d worked for and done for this. He needed to leave all of his projects half finished, stop directing and take care of Dirk until he could rightfully look after himself, by law. He looked down at his son, his little man, looking so handsome and strong under all of this difficult and scary shit. He licked over his lips and looked back over at the judge.  
  
“I’ll start looking for a job in town in the morning. I can’t lose my son.”  
  
Dirk’s facade broke and his head snapped up to look at Dave, then at the judge. Dave bent to wrap his arms around Dirk and in return, his thin arms wrapped around his neck. Dave scooped him up, a lithe, scrawny kid he had always been. The judge spoke up again, “You will be under supervision and monitored until I see fit you are doing well. Detective Pyrope will be in to visit you from time to time until I close the investigation. I do not want to see you back here again, Mr. Strider, is that clear?”  
  
Dave looked Dirk over and pulled his shades out of his pocket, setting them on his face, donning his own and smiled up at the judge on the stand, “Crystal, Your Honor.”  
  
“Then you are dismissed.”  
  
The sound of the gavel was the echo of safety.


End file.
